


your true colours are beautiful (like a rainbow)

by reddies_spaghetti



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Eddie and Richie meet at Pride, First Kiss, First Meetings, Fluff, It's all very fluffy and nothing hurts, M/M, Pride Parade, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-12
Updated: 2018-05-12
Packaged: 2019-05-05 19:12:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14625228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reddies_spaghetti/pseuds/reddies_spaghetti
Summary: Soulmate AU where you see in black and white until you meet your soulmate.





	your true colours are beautiful (like a rainbow)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Enj0ltaiRe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enj0ltaiRe/gifts).



The streets of New York City were filled to the brim with people, more people than usual anyway. The traffic had been stopped, and people were marching down the road waving flags and smartly printed signs. The NYPD were scattered all over the place, ensuring that the event taking place was safe and secure, but some of them had wide smiles on their faces, clearly happy with what was happening around them.

The event? The Pride Parade.

Eddie stood squished between Bill and Audra. They had convinced him to come join the parade after they caught him skimming through old videos on Youtube that people in other cities had taken and told him about the one happening in New York. At first, Eddie was hesitant, because everyone knew that Pride was full of colour, colour that Eddie couldn’t see because he had yet to meet his soulmate.

Soulmates. The one thing that the entire world constantly talks about. Everyone is born with a soulmate, or at least they should be, and up until the point where you meet said soulmate, the entire world you see is colourless. Growing up this never bothered Eddie, as everyone around him also couldn’t see colour, but then his friends began meeting their soulmates and their world blew up.

He was twenty three years old, living alone in New York City, and he still had to experience that first love, the first romance that swept him off his feet. Bill tried to set him up a few times on blind dates, but they never worked out as Eddie was always hoping that the moment he set eyes on the date his would would explode into colour.

It never did.

However his passion for taking part in the Pride Parade was too much to object to Bill and Audra’s begging, so here he was, walking amongst all the people and trying to not be too upset that he couldn’t see all the bright fantastic colours he was sure were all around him. Bands were playing music, people were dancing together in the streets and couples were stopping to wrap their arms around each other just happy to be able to express their love out in the open without fear of being harrassed.

The whole sight of it brought a wide smile onto Eddie’s lips, to see everyone so comfortable in a city so full of hate, it was relieving, even if it was just for one day. Audra’s grip on his hand tightened and he looked up to see her smile, “I’m sorry did you say something?”

“I just asked if you were enjoying yourself? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile so wide!” Audra repeated and Eddie felt his smile increase more than before. “I’ll take that as a yes! Come on, Bill said his friends are going to meet us at Bryant Park and we’re going to go for some drinks!”

Eddie let her drag him along, catching up with Bill as they weaved in and out of the crowds, making their way to Bryant Park. “Who are these friends we’re meeting up with Bill?” Eddie asked, falling into step with his friend, Audra following closely behind.

“Guy from one of my social classes. Mike. He’s hanging out with his boyfriend Stan and Stan’s best friend Richie. Just pre-warning you, Richie has a bit of a trashmouth, don’t take anything he says to heart.” Bill explained, sending Eddie a wink. “Although he is your type Eddie.”

Eddie felt his cheeks burn and he looked away from Bill’s gaze. There was a time, when they were younger that Bill spoke with a stutter, and hated speaking, now, he found it his mission to embarrass Eddie at every possible moment. “I don’t have a type, Bill.”

“Sure you do. Tall, curly hair, wicked smile. Did I mention he was tall?” Bill listed off all the things that Eddie clearly found attractive in a guy, counting them off with his fingers.

“Shut up,” he mumbled, looking at his shoes as they walked along the pavement. It was no secret that Eddie had a thing for taller men, with his height being a small 5ft 5, the thought of being with someone taller was somewhat comforting to him. “Is he gay?”

“Bisexual. As Richie would say, everyone is attractive to him, no matter the sex.” In the distance, Eddie could see Bryant Park, and his heart skipped a beat. “It’s going to be fine, Eddie. They’re cool guys.”

His mouth was dry, and Eddie had to remind himself that thinking about this _Richie_ ****before he had even met him was a bad idea. Once again, he was setting himself up for disappointment. Next to him, he heard Bill call out Mike’s name, and a young man in the distance turned around.

From next to Mike, two other men turned to face them, one had his fingers interlocked with Mike’s and the other...the other was standing alone, curly hair splayed out all over his face. Eddie assumed that that must have been Richie. As they got closer, the man’s head shot up and their eyes met across the short distance.

What happened next, all seemed to move in slow motion. It was as though there were staring into each other’s very soul and the crowds around them disappeared. Eddie took a few slow steps closer, and that was when he noticed that everything was bright. The once black and white world he had grown so used to was gone, and in its place was a world so full of colour, it left his mind spinning.

Across from him, Richie was staring with his jaw slightly agape, his eyes so wide that they might pop out of the sockets. It was then that Eddie realised that Richie could see the colours just as he could, which could only have meant one thing,

They were soulmates.

Slowly, step by step, they moved closer to one another until they were barely a few feet apart. Eddie felt his cheeks fill up with blood under Richie’s intense stare. None of the colours he could see were familiar, and he tried to remember back to when he was a child, to his father’s words as he described what, ‘Orange’ and ‘Brown’ looked like. He wondered if Richie’s eyes were either of those colours.

“Well, isn’t this a welcome surprise,” Richie spoke and Eddie swallowed thickly. The man’s voice was deep, sending shivers down Eddie’s spine. “I come out for a day of fun, and I meet the cutest boy in the world, who just so happens to be my soulmate.” Richie reached a hand down and took Eddie’s, bringing it up to his lips and with a smile, pressed a soft kiss to his knuckles. “Richie Tozier, at your service.”

“Eddie Kaspbrak,” Eddie breathed back, completely oblivious to the fact that they were being watched by both Richie’s friends and their own. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Richie.”

“Eddie,” Richie spoke, the name easily falling from his lips. “How would you feel about ditching these guys and going off on our own?”

At the question, Eddie let his eyes leave Richie’s gaze and he moved to ask Bill if that was okay, they had plans after all. The words never left his mouth as he finally set his eyes on his surroundings; everywhere people were dressed in bright colours, the streets covered in confetti and he could see that Audra was wearing some sort of sparkly glitter.

“Eddie?” Bill spoke softly, not wanting to overwhelm him.

“There’s so much colour,” he breathed in awe, struggling to focus on one given thing. Finally, his eyes settled back on Richie, who was standing with his arms folded over his chest, a smile on his lips. “It’s so bright.”

“It’s Pride! Everything is brightly coloured at Pride!” Audra exclaimed. “Now, go. We’ll be fine, but I’m sure you and Richie have a lot to talk about.” Eddie could see something shining in her eyes but he didn’t question it, taking another step towards Richie instead.

“I think I’d like that.” At his answer, Richie broke into another grin and reached out, taking his hand in his.

“Perfect answer, Eds. Now follow me. I know exactly where to go.”

* * *

 

They ended up in a diner, which was also decorated in all the same bright colours that littered the streets of the city. Once they were seated in a booth, both on the same side, thighs pressed up against one anothers, Richie pulled out his phone.

“Let’s get more acquainted with these new colours, shall we?” Richie suggested, setting his phone on the counter with all the colours listed next to the names.

For the whole afternoon, they spent their time in the diner, getting to know not only the colours, but each other. Richie was everything Eddie could have ever asked for in a soulmate. He was funny, smart, charismatic and to top it all off, he was gorgeous. After looking at the article, Eddie could now identify Richie’s hair colour as dark brown, and his eyes as a deep sea blue, so deep that Eddie found himself getting lost in them on multiple occasions.

He learned that Richie was a musical comedian. He played his guitar in Central Park, earning him quite a fanbase, and in the evenings three times a week he performed stand up comedy at a run down club in Brooklyn. In return, Eddie told Richie that he is studying to be a nurse, the need and passion to help people shining through in his studies.

Eventually, the wandered out of the diner, and back into the throngs of people in the city, dancing and singing along to music coming from Times Square, where there was a concert being held. Richie reached down, taking Eddie’s hand in his and lacing their fingers together.

“You’re so cute when you blush Eds,” he grinned, tugging him back into the street. “What do you say about joining our friends in Times Square?”

Eddie nodded his head, and let Richie guide him all the way to where the concert was taking place in the middle of Times Square. Richie must have known where the others were, as he was moving through the crowd with purpose, but never once letting his grip on Eddie’s hand falter.

Eddie had never felt more safe.

He spotted Bill, Audra, Stan and Mike a few feet away, and they all turned to greet them with smiles. At some point, in their absence, all of them had rainbow coloured stripes on their cheeks and Eddie wanted to know where they got it done so he could join in. His whole body was thrumming with happiness, a feeling he had never really opened himself up to before now.

In that moment, Eddie cursed himself because happiness was the best feeling in the world.

The band playing on the stage kicked into gear, loud music blaring through the speakers as the crowd cheered them on in excitement. Eddie had no idea who the band was, but he didn’t care, they were good and that was all that mattered. Bill handed him a plastic cup, clearly full of alcohol, and Eddie took a drink. It wasn’t his plan to get drunk, but he wanted to enjoy himself, so he knew a little drink wouldn’t hurt.

As he pulled the cup from his lips, his eyes flitted around his group of friends, old and new. His heart swelled up at the fact that this event not only brought him his soulmate, but also gave him two new friends. Thinking back on his life, Eddie couldn’t think of a moment where he had ever been this happy. Here he was; at Pride, surrounded by his friends, with his soulmate and he was totally and utterly in bliss.

A pair of hands turned his face slightly, and his eyes landed on Richie, whose own eyes were sparkling with what Eddie could only assume was happiness also. “Here,” Richie hummed, bringing his thumbs up to Eddie’s cheeks and spreading something over the skin. As Eddie glanced down, he could see that it was finger paint, and that Richie was painting a rainbow onto his cheeks just like Bill, Stan, Mike and Audra had.

Eddie had witnessed his friends and acquaintances meeting their soulmates, falling in love at first sight, and he always believed that it was somewhat bullshit.

Now? Now he _finally_ understands.

He had fallen in love with Richie the moment their eyes had met, and that feeling had only deepened the more time they spent together. It was scary, but for the first time, Eddie wanted to overcome his fears and finally take that leap of faith.

“Richie…” he spoke, gaining his attention as he spread the last of the paint over his cheeks. He looked down, and their eyes met, sending shivers down Eddie’s spine.

“Yeah, Eds?”

Eddie didn’t say anything, there was nothing he could say. Instead, he pushed himself up on to his tiptoes, wrapping one arm around Richie’s neck and pressing their lips together in a soft, yet passionate first kiss. There were no fireworks, no sparks of energy, it was just them. It was simply Eddie and Richie, coming together as they were always meant to be.

Richie’s hands found Eddie’s waist and he tugged him closer, so their bodies were pressed together. In the background, he could hear the wolf whistles of their friends cheering them on. The band continued to play, the crowds continued to cheer and the world continued to spin, but for Eddie it seemed as though time had stopped, just for a brief moment.

As they pulled away for air, Richie breathed out against his lips, coloured a light red from the kissing. He pressed their foreheads together, and Eddie felt himself become lost in Richie’s eyes for what must have been the tenth time that day. Richie carefully nudged their noses together, causing both of them to let out a breathless laugh.

“I’m going to take you out, sweep you off your feet.” Richie murmured and Eddie laughed.

“Oh don’t worry about that. You already have.”

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was written for my best friend El, who is @tozier-boy on Tumblr. I hope you all enjoy it! 
> 
> Please like and comment if you enjoyed! It saves my soul! <3
> 
> Find me on Tumblr at @reddies-spaghetti


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